Crossway Christian Church

When diphtheria or scarlet fever hit a home in older days, simple disinfectant procedures were not good enough. No detergents were strong enough nor scrubbing sufficient enough to remove the harmful bacteria. The only tool left was fire – not to purify, but to destroy. In Paul’s desire to destroy the pride and arrogance of the Corinthians, he has appealed to the cross and Scripture. Still, if these appeals are not sufficient, he is prepared to use fire. Such fire can be seen in his very words today, where he instructs the Corinthians that if they really wish to avoid factions, they must remember

When most people consider the meaning of the cross, they think of it in terms of salvation: forgiveness for sins, cleansing, being made right with God. This is good! Such things are true and form the foundation of all Christian preaching of the cross. Yet, the cross has more for us than salvation; it is the very wisdom of God distilled, able to help and guide through all parts of life. This is Paul’s very point in our passage today.

We don’t place a great deal of worth on unity and community in the modern church. While this might be chalked up to many different influences, it nevertheless seems quite true. But what is also true, from even a cursory glance through the New Testament is that Paul doesn’t share that view. For him, unity is hard-baked into the gospel, as sure to be present among those who believe as the Spirit, as certain of an entailment as is forgiveness. We get of sense of why he saw things that way this morning.

Today, we start a new study looking at Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian congregation. This was a congregation built out of new converts, ignorant of many of the right and good practices of God before Paul came, and slow to move in the right direction at times. They were split into factions, had immoral sexual practices, seeking honor and power in the world. Yet Paul is so certain of their right standing in the Lord. Why is this so? Let us take a look at his argument throughout this book today.

In this text, we see judgment pronounced on six specific nations for the sins that they’ve committed. As we look at this verdict, we get a glimpse at the character of God, specifically how the almighty Lord of the universe carries out judgment. The main idea of this passage is this: The LORD will judge the world in righteousness and justice. As we work through this text, we will see eight aspects of God’s judgment.

WWJD bracelets were all the rage at one time. Their intent was to get the wearer to ask themselves, “What would Jesus do?” The problem with this is that one’s answer was totally subjective. Two people could have two radically different views as to what Jesus would do in any given situation. A better question to ask, and one that drives us to the gospels rather than our preconceived notions, is “What did Jesus do?” That’s precisely the question Paul asks as he presents Jesus as the perfect example of humility.

There are a number of things to point to when asking why the western Church is in the state that it is in. Many could point to the lack of quality leadership, preaching of Christ, love, or the insistence on drawing crowds. One of the factors in all of these things is the simple idea of repentance. People like to be forgiven, but hate repentance. It can be a distaseteful and ugly thing. Why ought we to repent? Let us turn to teh words of our Lord and hear him well!

Black holes are widely known and somewhat understood by people now; such was not the case 100 years ago. A completely unexpected outcome of a famous theory, they are monstrous in effect, crushing anything that comes to close to nothing, and stretching out that death forever. A better picture of sin could hardly be imagined. Today, we see how the Kingdom fights against this gravity, and the fate of those who pass beyond the point of no return.

Last week we considered how our interpretation of the law impacted our view of God. This week, we have a chance to see how our view of prophecy effects our understanding of Jesus. Many throughout the ages have been called to serve God’s people, both inside and outside the Scriptures. But only one is God’s chosen servant, sent to bring all his promises to fulfillment. There is only one Jesus.

Controversies are unfortunate things. We are strongly warned to not dip our toes into such streams carelessly, lest we be swept away with envy and deceit. Yet, we cannot always avoid such things – sometimes we must take up the word and fight. So far in his ministry, Jesus has avoided such contentious confrontations, but he can no longer. What is at stake is not merely an interpretation of the Sabbath, but what we think of as the very heart of God.

We are indeed grateful for the beautiful gift of salvation. But we often lose sight of the importance of salvation really and truly being a gift. We still judge people as being closer or further from the Kingdom based on their deeds, as though salvation was somehow dependent upon their goodness. Jesus forcefully reminds us that salvation is not for the good, the great, or the go-getters, but for those who repent and believe.

Doubt is a persistent thing in most human lives; it can be good, sometimes bad, and often irrelevant to our lives. But for those of faith, whose entire life and salvation hang upon belief and trust, doubt is not only a source of anxiety and vexation, but can become a crisis and put people on the edge of devastation. What can we do to battle such doubts? Jesus is here, as always, to help us. Let us turn to him this morning.

Jesus is kind to us, even in the giving of difficult news. While the sermon on the mission opened with some encouraging notes, Jesus quickly and surely turned to the bad news, making certain that the apostles knew what was facing them. Yet he doesn’t leave them without some hope – hope that he places before them today. What can we hold onto, what can we pursue, to help us endure to the end?

While Matthew and Jesus have already spoken to us about the nature of missions, there is much more ground to cover. In this second part of our study through the Lord’s instructions about missions, we have placed before us the stark nature of what we are sent out to do, and the faith that is necessary to see us through.

Why do Christians spend so much time speaking about, giving to, and engaging in missions? Can not the word of God spread, like rain from the heavens, the message on its own, naturally and organically. Yes, indeed it does. But it happens naturally through the disciples of Jesus, not through a mystic movement of God’s word. Today, Jesus summons his disciples to engage in missions, and we would do well to eavesdrop on his comments to them, that we might hear again the importance of taking the good news of Jesus to this lost world.

Today, as we finish our brief study about apologetics, we review the material we have discussed over the past 6 weeks, and field any remaining questions.

We often hear the saying that there are two sides to every story. We tend to only believe one, and often the other is rancid and worthless, a fiction used to prop up sin and lies. Yet even these stories are useful; they show us the lengths that sin will trod to keep its hold on us, and warn us against our own deceptive hearts. Today, Jesus will heal more people, showing his power and his might. And while much faith in him will be demonstrated, we also get examples of the “other side of the story”; those who stand in unbelief and denial. Let us consider both sides this morning!

Television shows like Survivor have become a window into the selfishness that characterizes our culture and fallen humanity as a whole. As contestants lie, cheat, and steal to gain advantage over their opponents, we recognize the same self-seeking, self-aggrandizing mindset that is all around us and, unfortunately, often within us. This mindset, while pervasive in 21st century America, is hardly unique to us. The early church had to contend with it, as well; it was, in fact, threatening to pull the Philippian church apart. As Paul continues the appeal for unity he began at the end of Philippians 1, we see some of the basic facts about the role our humility plays.

Evolution has been a particular thorn in the side of Christians for nearly 200 years. While some see no contradictions between this area of science and our faith, for many the problems between the two are insurmountable. Today, we look at some of the problems that evolution faces, and ways in which Christians can counter the claims of evolutionary biology.

Many people notice evil around them, but if God is good and all-powerful, why does evil exist? What kind of defense can Christians give? Today, we consider the problem of evil and the Christian response.